Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
A revolutionary 3.2 gigapixel camera mounted in a massive ground-based
telescope will produce unprecedented views of the cosmos, driving
discoveries with the widest, densest, and most complete images of
our universe ever captured.

New Visions

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will peer into space as no
other telescope can. This new facility will create an unparalleled
wide-field astronomical survey of our universe – wider and deeper in
volume than all previous telescopes combined. The combination of a 3,200
megapixel camera sensor array, a powerful supercomputer, a sophisticated data processing and distribution network, and a massive telescope
stationed on a mountaintop in Chile promises to cast light on mysteries
fundamental to our understanding of the universe. From the distant
signatures of dark energy to the dangers of near-earth asteroids, LSST
will capture it all. Three central considerations dictated the design of
LSST: that it be wide, fast, and deep.

WIDE A 3.5-degree field of view will produce a complete survey
of the entire night sky every three days, an impossible task for a
smaller device.

FAST 15-second exposures
will chart the changes in space with 800 panoramic shots a night, tracking phenomena from
the redshift at the edge of the universe to fast-moving asteroids
closer to home.

DEEP The sensitive camera array will ultimately image five
billion galaxies, catching the subtle glow of the far-reaches of
space in unprecedented detail.

Brookhaven Builds the Digital Film

Brookhaven Lab leads the development of the sensors for the LSST,
the array of precise and sensitive electronics that capture images
within the digital camera. The efficacy of LSST research hinges upon
its massive resolution of 3.2 gigapixels—nearly 200 times
larger than a high-end consumer camera.

The unique charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors, designed in
Brookhaven’s Instrumentation Division, are sensitive to light beyond
the visible spectrum and have a much faster readout time than those
in today’s most advanced astronomical cameras. Brookhaven scientists
are constructing a grid of 200 individual sensors, which will act in
concert to render a complete image.

BNL's Paul O'Connor with hardware being developed for LSST.
[Hi-res
versions]

Illuminating the Dark

The known forms of matter and types of energy experienced here on Earth account for only 4
percent of the universe. The remaining 96 percent—though central to the history and future
of the cosmos—remains shrouded in mystery. Two tremendous unknowns present one of the most
tantalizing and essential questions in physics: What are dark energy and dark matter? LSST
aims to expose both.

Dark Matter: Einstein deduced that massive
objects in the universe bend the path of light passing nearby,
proving the curvature of space. One way of observing the invisible
presence of dark matter is examining the way its heavy mass bends
the light from distant stars. This technique is known as
gravitational lensing. The extreme sensitivity of the LSST, as well
as its wide field of view, will help assemble comprehensive data on
these lenses, offering clues to the presence of dark
matter. The dense and mysterious substance acts as a kind of
galactic glue, and it accounts for 25 percent of the universe.

Dark Energy: Something is driving the universe
apart, accelerating the expansion begun by the Big Bang. This force
accounts for 70 percent of the cosmos, yet is invisible and can only
be “seen” by its effects on space. Because LSST is able to track
cosmic movements over time, its images will provide some of the most
precise measurements ever of our universe’s inflation. Light appears
to stretch at the distant edges of space, a phenomenon known as
redshift, and LSST may offer the key to understanding the cosmic
anti-gravity behind it.

An Interactive Motion Picture

From its mountaintop site, LSST will image the entire visible sky
every few nights, capturing changes over time from seconds to years.
Ultimately, after 10 years of observation, a stunning time-lapse
movie of the universe will be created.

As the LSST stitches together thousands of images of billions of
galaxies, it will process and upload that information for
applications beyond pure research. Frequent and real time updates—100 thousand a night—announcing the drift of a planet or the
flicker of a dying star will be made available to both research
institutions and interested astronomers.

In conjunction with
platforms such as Google Earth, LSST will build a 3D virtual map of
the cosmos, allowing the public to fly through space from the
comfort of home.

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical,
biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security.
Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry
and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven
Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by the Research Foundation for the State
University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory
facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit applied science and technology organization.